As you probably have heard, the pandemics hit Brazil very hard. We have almost 70 thousand people killed by Covid-19, and hundreds of thousands infected.

And, over all that, our government, besides having a genocidal perspective in how to deal with the problem (basing on a speech of “saving the economy healthy” – and, because of that, being against social isolation, the closure of business and even the compulsory requirementof wearing mask), the government and the Parliament are also using the chaos to cut down worker´s rights, put a lot of people all of jobs and promoting many different attacks, including an absurd proposal of privatizing the access and distribution of water.

Actually, the federal government gave the green light (for local governments and business) for the reduction of wages and the dismissals and still is doing nothing for small business, only measures that favor banks, large companies and military leaders. Another example is that, in most cities, governments are preparing to reopen the schools, which can mean an even higher and faster dissemination of coronavirus.

And, at the same time, also with the support of the Congress and the Senate, has offered a ridiculous amount of R$ 600 (something around US$ 110) as “social support” for those one out of job or informal sectors. An amount totally insufficient to keep anyone under minimum conditions of live, not being enough to food, housing, transportation (as many as being forced to move around, doing informal jobs) and that has, also, stimulated huge and dangerous agglomeration of people in front of banks and so on.

The situation is so weird, that we just discovered (the day before yesterday) that even the president, Jair Bolsonaro, is infected and he has being walking around, touching people and having meeting without even wearing a mask.

But, those things are not being done without resistance and struggle. There is a very interesting process of self-organization, forced, from the start, by the neglect of the government in all levels (from national to cities’ administrations), but that is spreading in different sectors and issues. 

And even preserving social distance measures, people have taken the streets in a number of occasions and protests are also popping out everywhere, in different scales, ways and around a number of questions (including the increase of police and racist violence, with a growing number of young blacks being shot in the peripheral neighborhoods).

Also, some factories have already being paralyzed by workers, around massive lay-offs, deaths of coworkers due to Covid or specific attacks. 

These things are going to concentrate between the 10th and the 12th, when we are calling (with a number of labor, social, popular, youth, human rights, black, women´s, LGBT and political organizations) a series of activities. It´s being called a “Journey of Struggles”, around the slogan “Down with Bolsonaro”.

On Friday, we are going to have “symbolic actions” in the main cities of Brazil, denouncing Bolsonaro’s genocidal policy in the face of the pandemics. For instance, people are being stimulated to install crosses in places of great circulation and tourist spots, surrounding them with a strip with the inscription “Fora Bolsonaro”.

On the same day, there will be demonstrations organized by popular movements in more than 20 states. They will mobilize people in the communities, associations, popular groups, occupations, slums, neighborhoods on the outskirts and so on. The idea is to protest in small groups respecting the rules of social isolation, with posters and whistles, simultaneously.

There will, also, be an Inter-Religious Act entitled “Those who have faith defend life and democracy: Let’s light one million candles to honor the dead ones and defend our lives – “For a Bolsonaro.” The emphases in the democratic issues is also a common struggle in all this process, due the permanent threatening from government in restricting human rights and restore laws and measures with were typical of the dictatorship we had between 1964-1985.

The population are being called to support the campaign in any way that is possible. So, during the whole day, there will be agitation in the networks with the hashtag #ForaBolsonaro; a “panelaço” (literally hitting pans and making noise, through the windows, as it is a tradition in protests in Latin America), starting at exactly 8 p.m., and the display of black cloth on the windows to symbolize the mourning for the thousands of people killed by Covid-19, but at the same time re-signify turning this moment of grieve into a struggle in defense of life (which, in Portuguese, is written “transformar “luto” em “luta”);

The day will end with meetings in workplaces organized by the Forum of Labor Federations, as part of the organization of a “Virtual Plenary” which will be hold on July 11, in two moments, at 11h and 14:00 pm (see links below), gathering thousands of participants from all over the country. In this activity we will define the next actions of the National Campaign “Fora Bolsonaro”.

Anyways, CSP-Conlutas (Labor and Popular Federation – National Coordenation of Struggle) is part of a number of entities and some parties, which are supporting the organization of street rallies (with all necessary measures of safety and healthy) on Monday, the 12th, when we are going to protest in the main cities with our flags, masks, banners and political agitation and demands.

To participate in the Plenary (July 11th):https://forms.gle/eJsaBrQzQiiPMvDJ6 (only participants previously registered in this form will have access to the virtual rooms)

National site of the campaign: https://www.campanhaforabolsonaro.org.br/

Wrote by Wilson Honório da Silva – Quilombo Raça e Classe (Black Movement Caucus affiliated to CSP-Conlutas